Issue 3

+PHOTO BY MADELINE MANNING

a year abroad

the

NW PASSAGE Nov. 09, 2017 Vol. 49

NORTHWEST PASSAGE Is s u e 0 4 V o l . 49 N ov. 9

TA BL E OF

CONTENTS

One wall at a time

Mural Club starts a new mural focused on the future of technology and the environment

5

7-9

Abroad view

Exchange student programs connect Northwest to the rest of the global community

10

Keep on truckin’

Siblings juggle being students and above-average athletes

Sit down, be thankful 14 Students share what they are thankful for this holiday season

+ PHOTO BY PIPER SCHUERMAN

OUR PASSAGE: The purpose of the Northwest Passage is to relay important and interesting information to the community, administration and students of the Shawnee Mission Northwest High School. As a news magazine, the Northwest Passage will cater to the interests and concerns of the student body. Outside concerns and activities will only be covered if they somehow affect the school or students. The Northwest Passage is a 20-page news magazine. The paper will be distributed every four weeks during fourth hour. Subscriptions will be available to the community for $25. The Northwest Passage firmly supports the First Amendment and opposes censorship. The content of the newspaper will be determined and created by the entire staff. When questions concerning word choice, legal problems or ethics arise, the editorial board and adviser will discuss the problem to find the solution. In these cases, the editor-in-chief and editorial board will have the say in all decisions. Letters to the editor will be accepted and encouraged. The staff reserves the right to edit for grammatical mistakes, length and good taste. Letters may attack policy but not people. In no way will ideas or viewpoints be changed. The editor-in-chief and editorial board reserve the right to refuse any letter.

02 NOV. 9, 2017 | Vol. 49

STAFF: PUBLICATION OVERSIGHT: Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief

STAFF WRITERS: Cadence Elder Jack Lynch

CONTENT MANAGEMENT: Design Editor Photo Editor Photo Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Ads Manager Online Copy Editor

Rachel Albers Madeline Manning Erin Henton Asher Norberg Samantha Joslin Will Gross Annalissa Houser

ADVISERS: Adviser Assistant Adviser

Susan Massy Wes Mikel

Jake Ditto Anastasia Kling Nicholas Lorino Sonni Meyers Matthew Owens Sam Rice Kaili Sitz Catherine Taggart

STAFF DESIGNER: Kennady Bustamante

A DIFFERENT CURE

It is time to donate to a different breast cancer charity

+BY ASHER NORBERG

Every year in October, billions of dollars are donated to breast cancer charities across America.

The breast cancer industry generates about $6 billion annually, and NW students play a role in that. Every year, t-shirts, bracelets and other items are sold by school organizations with some or all of the proceeds going to the breast cancer charity giant, Susan G. Komen. While school organizations obviously have benevolent intentions, it is time for Northwest to ditch the Komen foundation and find one that is less prone to controversy.

According to Charity Navigator, an independent online charity watchdog organization, Susan G. Komen amassed over $210 million in revenue last year. Nearly 75 percent of that was spent on breast cancer research, which is great. But the devil is in the details. Chief Executive Officer Judith Salerno’s salary last year was $496,324. When put into perspective, the American Red Cross, which had a budget of over $2.7 billion last year, paid its president and CEO $517,364 in 2015. The American Red Cross’s budget is roughly 12 times the size of Susan G. Komen’s, yet the American Red Cross only pays their CEO only $21,040 more. Ken Berger, the former president and CEO of Charity Navigator, told CNBC in 2013 that Salerno’s salary package was “way outside the norm.”

That being said, a charity is not only to be judged by how they pay their employees, but by the actions they take as a charity. In 2014, Susan G. Komen accepted a $100,000 donation from one of the largest oil field service companies in the world, Baker Hughes. In a publicity stunt, Baker Hughes

then produced 1,000 breast-cancer-pink drill bits to be used for fracking.

What makes this problematic is that fracking (the process of drilling into the earth before injecting a liquid mixture at high pressure to fracture rocks and release oil or gas trapped inside) has been linked to negative health effects, including cancer.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University also found that people who live near areas where fracking occurs are more likely to be hospitalized for cancer, neurological illnesses and heart problems. Susan G. Komen’s founding purpose was to find a cure for breast cancer, yet they accept donations from and participate in publicity stunts with a company that could be causing it.

Furthermore, the foundation has sued other cancer charities in the past for using the foundation’s copyrighted phrases including “For The Cure” and have warned some charities to stop using pink in their marketing. While any company has the legal right to sue anyone who misuses their registered trademarks, why would Susan G. Komen sue other cancer charities, especially if they are all working toward the same goal? The Huffington Post reported in 2010 that up to $1 million of donations to the Susan G. Komen Foundation were used in legal costs.

Northwest needs to move away from donating to this organization and opt for other charities instead.

Perhaps NW organizations should consider the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation or the Breast Cancer Research foundation, which each hold a four out of four-star rating on Charity Navigator compared to Susan G. Komen’s three-star rating.

GUNS ARE UNDER FIRE

The government’s efforts to regulate guns won’t make us safer

Editor’s Note: This article was written before Sunday’s shooting in Texas.

+BY SAM RICE

“A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

(U.S. Constitution Amendment II) The Second Amendment guarantees citizens who meet the state requirements the right to carry a firearm.

Some think that the possession of guns should be illegal; I think this is a terrible idea.

Take a minute to think about this: gun control is the government trying to regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification or use of firearms by citizens. Both the federal and state governments have laws regarding firearms. But by definition, criminals do not obey laws. What law could be passed that the unlawful would obey?

If someone does not care about another human’s life, what makes people think that they would be concerned about the law?

The National Rifle Association (NRA), an American nonprofit organization, advocates for the rights of gun owners. They have been advocating for gun rights since 1871.

“The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” executive vice president Wayne LaPierre said in 2012.

Organizations like the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) argue that guns should be outlawed because they have the ability to take lives. That doesn’t make sense. The first retail sale of most firearms is legal. A gun that ends up in criminal use generally gets there after several more transactions… some of them illegal. The average age of guns taken from Chicago gang members is 11 years, according to Duke University professor Philip Cook. Even if the government prevents citizens from purchasing firearms, people who can’t legally obtain guns will still buy them from those who can.

I have an idea. Let’s make it illegal to murder, then no one can do it and we will all be safe. Oh wait, it is already illegal to murder.

If someone came into your home uninvited with the intent to hurt you, you are going to want to be able to defend yourself. Extreme gun control, such as the kind supported by the CSGV, will prevent you from having the ability to defend yourself. That intruder will most likely have a weapon. If someone is comfortable with breaking and entering, who’s to say they would not be comfortable breaking gun control laws?

If the government were to overturn citizens’ rights to bear arms, it would not only be a violation of the Second Amendment but one of the biggest mistakes they have ever made.

NW PASSAGE| columns 3

Shawnee Chiropractic & Acupuncture Clinic Your family’s health is our first priority

Dr. Kimberly Flaming East of Earl May Nursery 21640 Midland Dr Shawnee KS 66216 9(13) 422-1900 shawneechiro.com shawneechiropractic@yahoo.com

NOW OFFERING LASER HAIR REMOVAL 04 Nov. 9, 2017 | Vol. 49

The original sketch for newest mural was presented to adiministration for approval last year. After a few changes, it was approved and is currently being created. —Sketch by Althea Flores and Lillian Oliver

One Wall at a Time Mural Club starts a new mural focused on the future of technology and the environment +BY KAILI SITZ

M

ural Club has been busy creating their newest work of art for more than a year.

The mural will focus on current events, particularly the struggle over the Dakota Access Pipeline and environmental issues.

“A lot of Native Americans grew up [near the site of the pipeline],” Mural Club vice president Althea Flores said. “I was just really angry that it was taken away from them, so I tried to include that on my side, stuff that I never had the chance to paint but have always been interested in.”

Students have a great deal of freedom in completing a mural. The mural itself can consist of almost anything the members of mural club are passionate about. Creating a mural is not just about the painting; it takes a certain level of work as well.

“The usual time span for a mural is at least two years just because of the time it takes to get it approved, get it designed, pick out the location and to get it painted,” Mural Club president Lillian Oliver said. “If you say, ‘hey, I like deer, that’s my thing,’ you can just draw and paint it. There’s no set rules unless someone’s already painted or claimed an area. The good thing about murals is that you can paint over any mistakes.”

The time isn’t the only factor the members of mural club have to worry about. They must find a way to incorporate everything into the mural in ways that relate to the wall the mural is painted on and to the student body.

“When we talked about it one day, we just needed to think of a way to show how the future overlaps with nature,” Flores said. “So we were just thinking about how we wanted to organize that/divide it and show them overlapping, and we’re gonna do two paths and split it in half.”

Although the club members presented a solid plan to principal Lisa Gruman, she decided that the mural should relate more closely to the hallway it was to be painted on. Since it was next to the library, she wanted it to relate in some way to books. Knowing what they needed to change, members sought a way to connect this mural to its home by the library and to the student body.

“We also transitioned into the ‘choose your own adventure’ type of story,” Oliver said. “Since we’re about to leave high school and go to college, this is our legacy. I’m just happy to leave my mark and show this is how you can choose your own journey.”

“That is the question. Do we trash the Earth or not?

And it is within our power to decide.

My favorite use of art is to get people thinking as opposed to some forgettable painting.

To be able to have a painting to cause one to think.”

Senior Noah Septer paints the sky in the background of the newest mural. This one is being created on the first floor, next to the library. + PHOTO BY ABBIE ROBERTS

­— Art teacher David Hunt NW PASSAGE | feature 05

Before the perfomance, junior Shantice White applies makeup to sophmore Jackson Tomlin’s face for the play Fools Nov. 1 +PHOTOS BY MAYA LEE

More Than Makeup

+BY SAMANTHA JOSLIN

Shantice White has taught herself everything she knows about acting and makeup

T

here’s no doubt that all of the students, friends and family members who attended the fall play Fools this weekend saw the work of Shantice White. She transformed six out of 10 cast members, including herself, from their teenage selves into adults ranging from their early thirties to their late seventies.

“I’ve always had a love for regular makeup,” White said. “It started in middle school. From there I started getting pretty creative and I decided to work on other things within the makeup realm.”

In addition to doing all of the aging for Fools, White was one of 10 actors who got a role. The small cast made for tight competition during tryouts, and, although White has only acted in three shows (all at Trailridge and Northwest), she received the role of Yencha, an old woman living in the small Ukrainian village where the play takes place.

“I started acting pretty late,” White said.

“This is the first time I’ve ever auditioned solely with acting, not singing, and theater at Northwest is my first real acting class. It absolutely helps me as an actress. Just this week, I have pushed myself past points I didn’t think I could as an actress. I broke down and almost cried in the middle of a scene, I was on the brink of fighting someone because of the emotional intensity – we were nose to nose.

It’s a lot about expectations and reactions between people.”

Although White does not have a lot of acting experience, she has been a technician for 15 shows at Northwest, her old job at Dramatic Impact Theater and Events Center (DITEC) and her current jobs with Faust Theater and Theater in the Park. She did all of the makeup 06 Nov. 9, 2017 | Vol. 49

for every NW show last year, including age makeup, bruising or a bit of beauty makeup.

For Fools she’s doing hair aging, too. The catch? White taught herself everything she knows.

“I’m completely self-taught,” White said. “I just played around with brushes and makeup on my own face, and then I started doing it on other people. There’s a lot to remember in terms of clean lines and blending that most people don’t know. I talk to [theater teacher] Keli Rogers about that and, based on the character’s personality and the actor’s natural bone structure, we figure out aging and hair-whitening. And then the guys always need help putting on eyeliner­­— they can never seem to do it.”

To help her with blending and eyeliner this time around, White has sophomore Claire Anderson as an assistant. Although Anderson has been playing around with makeup since her freshman year, this is the first time she’s done stage makeup for a show and she’s relying on White to teach her everything she knows.

“One hundred percent, Shantice is my makeup inspiration,” Anderson said. “She knows how to handle any situation with a good attitude. I’m nervous for the show and I’m praying that everything will go smoothly, but I know that, in reality, Shantice will guide me in the right direction even if I mess up.”

Despite the exhaustive aging and makeup techniques that White and Anderson will have to arrive a few hours early to employ, the most difficult part of the play for her is transforming herself into a 66-year-old woman — transforming not just with makeup

and hair coloring, but with body language and tone of voice. Instead of taking an acting class (other than the one she is enrolled in) or asking to be taught, White chooses instead to imitate the behavior of the people around her.

“As a 16-year-old girl, I don’t know what it’s like to be 66 years old,” White said. “I’ll find out when I get there, I guess.

“I’ve always had a love for makeup.”

— junior Shantice White There’s a lot of people-watching involved; you have to look at other people’s mannerisms when you’re trying to convey a different physicality. The accent and the mindset you can figure out yourself, but with the acting you have to go about what you’ve seen and make sure it’s believable and not overdramatic.”

As the curtain closed on this weekend’s performances and her work was washed away with makeup remover and shampoo, White reminisced on the grinning faces of the audience as they looked up at her and the rest of the cast not as teenagers, but as old men and women, thanks to White’s expertise.

“It’s fun to transform people,” White said.

“Whether it be someone else or myself, it’s a very likely outcome of how they’ll look down the road. I love the experience of acting: all the different people putting on this production that everyone can enjoy. And that’s the best part of it — making everyone smile.”

+PHOTO BY MADELINE MANNING

Abroad View

Abroad View

Jey Heing

Mokpo, South Korea

Exchange student Jey Heing is spending her senior year living out her biggest dream– to live in America. Despite many people telling her not to go on exchange as an 18-year-old, claiming that she was too old, Heing knew this was exactly what she had always wanted.

“To live in America was the biggest dream of my life,” Heing said. “I really wanted to live here, but it’s expensive so I couldn’t do that. Now, my dream has come true.”

While moving to America permanently was too expensive, coming as part of an exchange program for 10 months was achievable. Once Heing’s dream came true and she arrived in Kansas, she was surprised by the vast differences between America and Korea. Heing grew up in a very small town, spending her free time baking with her two little sisters “[My sisters] are three and eight years old, so we would make cookies, brownies or pancakes,” Heing said. “Anything with my sisters was happy.”

Free time, however, was a rare occurrence for Heing — in Korea, she went to school from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. During those hours, Heing made her way through nine classes, none of which she had the ability to choose herself.

Directly following dinner (eaten at school) was independent study time.

Even outside of the considerable number of hours spent in school, Heng spent the bulk of her free time at home studying.

“I go to sleep at 2 a.m. and wake up at 6 a.m. because I have to study,” Heing said. “If I go to sleep at midnight, that’s early.”

In spite of the heavy academic burden Heing carried in South Korea, American high school was more strenuous at first. Heing struggled as she attempted to adapt to the English language and because of the entirely new concept of written homework.

“At Korean high school, [we get homework], like, four times a year,” Heing said. “Here, every day I have homework and I have to spend so much time on it.”

Alongside all of the drastic differences between Korean and American school systems, one specific quality of America has stood out to Heing — the pumpkin craze.

“In Korea, there is no pumpkin food. Here, there are so many pumpkin foods,” Heing said. “Pumpkin bars, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin is everywhere!”

While the pumpkin treats (and Kansas barbeque) amaze Heing, the aspect she loves most about living in the United States is the ability to participate in sports. She played tennis this fall .

“Korean teachers don’t allow anything [but studying]. Here I can play sports and do some art activities,” Heing said with a smile. “I think it’s really good for me here.”

08 Nov. 9, 2017 | Vol. 49

Exchange student programs connect Northwest to the rest of the global community. The cultural differences, similarities and oddities add a third dimension to our learning. With students hailing from South Korea, Spain and Italy, they all bring a different life experience and perspective to the school.

Andrés Aguirre

Ester Molinaroli

Elvira Gonzalez

Sixteen-year-old Andrés Aguirre did not always want to come to the United States. At first, he was apprehensive.

“I was scared about everything,” Aguirre said. “I did not want to go.”

Hitting the reset button in another country did not seem easy but his mother, who lived briefly in New York as a child, urged him to spend a year in the United States. “[My mother] wanted me to speak better English,” Aguirre said. “She wanted me to live the American experience.”

Aguirre’s mother continued to encourage him to go abroad. She talked about it so much that Aguirre became tired of hearing about it.

“She was always talking to me about it,” Aguirre said. “I didn’t want to go.”

Eventually, her efforts were rewarded. Six months before he left for the United States, he decided he would go be an EF (Education First) exchange student.

“Before coming here, I felt that I need to play [American football],” Aguirre said. “Everyone told me, ‘Oh if you are going to America, you have to play American football.’”

In Spain, they have “fútbol” (soccer). In the United States, there is “football”. Soccer, much like football in the states, is huge in Spain.

“Everybody loves soccer in Spain,” Aguirre said. “I hate soccer. I like playing with my friends but I hate soccer because everybody always argues about it.”

Because of Aguirre’s distaste for soccer, he thought he should try his hand (or foot) at football. He walked onto the team at the beginning of the season and is now the junior varsity kicker. He is number 37.

“It is not like it is the hardest thing,” Aguirre said. “I have learned a lot.”

While Aguirre has learned a lot about football, other cultural things remain a mystery.

“In Spain when you meet someone, you give them two kisses if it is a girl, and a handshake if it is a guy,” Aguirre said. He laughed. “When I meet a girl here I do not know what to do.”

But the biggest cultural difference, a sentiment shared by all of the international exchange students, is a popular student choice in footwear.

“Sandals with white socks?” Aguirre asked with a smirk. “What is that?”

Aguirre is also adjusting to a more American diet. In Spain he mostly ate seafood, but here he is eating more land animals.

“I think I am eating a bit worse here,” Aguirre said. “I eat pizza maybe three days a week.”

When it was official she was going to live in the United States for the school year, Ester Molinaroli’s friends back home in Verona, Italy, thought she was the luckiest girl in the world.

“In Europe, everyone, and I mean everyone, wants to come [to the United States.],” Molinaroli said. “We see the [American] films and we think that it’s like that. It is not 100 percent like that, but many things are like in the films.”

Molinaroli always knew she wanted to experience a new culture outside of Italy. Her father wanted her to have an open mind and supported her decision to do a year abroad.

“I wanted to go somewhere else, meet new people, start everything new.

When I was in my last year of middle school, I decided I wanted to come here,” Molinaroli said. “I found this association called AFS [American Field Service] that gave me the chance to come.”

Most exchange programs allow for students to choose their desired country, but not the city or area. When Molinaroli first found out she was coming to Kansas, she did not know what to expect.

“In Italy, we think that Kansas is the middle of nowhere,” Molinaroli said with a laugh. “I thought that I would live on a farm. But I really like it here in Kansas City.”

One thing she misses, however, is something Americans are notorious for avoiding: walking. In Verona, she would walk about 20 minutes to school and 20 minutes back every day. When she would go out with friends, they would walk around the city at night. Walking was very much a part of her daily routine in Italy. In Kansas, not so much.

“Here [in the United States], to go 5 meters, we use a car,” Molinaroli joked.

Once Molinaroli arrived in Kansas City, her schedule was turned on its head.

Not only is there the jet lag, but a completely different school schedule to get accustomed to. At her school in Verona, Molinaroli only went to school for five hours. Class started at 7:45 a.m. and ended at 12:45 p.m., and classes were also held on Saturdays. With classes that end before 1 p.m., Italian students have very different study habits.

“We study the whole afternoon,” Molinaroli said. “We had so much to study that we go to bed at 11 p.m. and I wake up at 4 a.m. to study before going to school.”

With her new schedule she says it is easier to find time to spend with friends, which she likes.

“You guys are very friendly and very warm,” Molinaroli said. “You involve people in conversation and I really like that.”

Molinaroli also points out how friendly people are, not only to each other at school, but also in the neighborhood and wider community. . “In [my host family’s] neighborhood, they know each other; they invite each other to dinner,” Molinaroli said.

“In Italy,” she said with a smile. “I do not invite my neighbor for dinner.”

Island: a piece of land surrounded by water.

Kansas: the opposite of an island.

Born and raised an island girl, Elvira Gonzalez was in for a shock when she came to Kansas from the Canary Island of Gran Canaria on exchange.

Overnight, Gonzalez went from waking up and seeing the waves through her bedroom window to using an app for ocean sounds in order to fall asleep.

Ever since she was 10 years old, Gonzalez knew she wanted to be a part of an exchange program, but her original plan was to wait until college.

While doing research on scholarships, Gonzalez found out that an exchange program during high school was possible oo.

“When I found out that I can go in high school, I thought ‘why not do both?’,” Gonzalez said. “I still want to go to a different country for university, but not America because I’ve been here now. I’m looking at the U.K. or China.”

China has always been of interest to Gonzalez, so much so that China was her first choice when creating her priority list of countries for her exchange program.

“I really want to learn Chinese, so I put Taiwan as my first option. I was not disappointed when I got the United States though,” Gonzalez said. “I really like the American experience and way of life.”

Part of the American experience is learning the style of a whole new school system. At Spanish high schools, freshmen have the option to chose what path they will follow for the remainder of their educational careers. With her obvious interest in culture, it does not come as a surprise that Gonzalez chose to study social studies. Like most European schools, Gonzalez remains in the same classroom all year, while the teachers do the moving.

“I think it’s easier to make friends in Spain because you are with the same class all year,” Gonzalez said. “Here, it’s better because you know more people, you just don’t get to see them as much.”

Since coming to America, Gonzalez has not had much of a chance to catch up with her old friends back home, as the six-hour time difference and copious amounts of homework create a hurdle in communication. She makes sure to find time to talk to her mother, however, as a way of taking a break from speaking English all day. When she does finally find time to talk to her friends in Gran Canaria, she plans to tell them one thing about America– it is not like the high school movies.

“European countries only have the stereotype of American movies, like cheerleaders are the prettiest in the school and the mean girls, that’s not true,” Gonzalez said with a laugh. “Coming here really changed my mind.

Americans are really nice. It’s very easy to be here.”

Madrid, Spain

Verona, Italy

Gran Canaria, Spain

NW PASSAGE | feature 09

Abroad View

Jey Heing

Mokpo, South Korea

Exchange student Jey Heing is spending her senior year living out her biggest dream– to live in America. Despite many people telling her not to go on exchange as an 18-year-old, claiming that she was too old, Heing knew this was exactly what she had always wanted.

“To live in America was the biggest dream of my life,” Heing said. “I really wanted to live here, but it’s expensive so I couldn’t do that. Now, my dream has come true.”

While moving to America permanently was too expensive, coming as part of an exchange program for 10 months was achievable. Once Heing’s dream came true and she arrived in Kansas, she was surprised by the vast differences between America and Korea. Heing grew up in a very small town, spending her free time baking with her two little sisters “[My sisters] are three and eight years old, so we would make cookies, brownies or pancakes,” Heing said. “Anything with my sisters was happy.”

Free time, however, was a rare occurrence for Heing — in Korea, she went to school from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. During those hours, Heing made her way through nine classes, none of which she had the ability to choose herself.

Directly following dinner (eaten at school) was independent study time.

Even outside of the considerable number of hours spent in school, Heng spent the bulk of her free time at home studying.

“I go to sleep at 2 a.m. and wake up at 6 a.m. because I have to study,” Heing said. “If I go to sleep at midnight, that’s early.”

In spite of the heavy academic burden Heing carried in South Korea, American high school was more strenuous at first. Heing struggled as she attempted to adapt to the English language and because of the entirely new concept of written homework.

“At Korean high school, [we get homework], like, four times a year,” Heing said. “Here, every day I have homework and I have to spend so much time on it.”

Alongside all of the drastic differences between Korean and American school systems, one specific quality of America has stood out to Heing — the pumpkin craze.

“In Korea, there is no pumpkin food. Here, there are so many pumpkin foods,” Heing said. “Pumpkin bars, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin is everywhere!”

While the pumpkin treats (and Kansas barbeque) amaze Heing, the aspect she loves most about living in the United States is the ability to participate in sports. She played tennis this fall .

“Korean teachers don’t allow anything [but studying]. Here I can play sports and do some art activities,” Heing said with a smile. “I think it’s really good for me here.”

08 Nov. 9, 2017 | Vol. 49

Exchange student programs connect Northwest to the rest of the global community. The cultural differences, similarities and oddities add a third dimension to our learning. With students hailing from South Korea, Spain and Italy, they all bring a different life experience and perspective to the school.

Andrés Aguirre

Ester Molinaroli

Elvira Gonzalez

Sixteen-year-old Andrés Aguirre did not always want to come to the United States. At first, he was apprehensive.

“I was scared about everything,” Aguirre said. “I did not want to go.”

Hitting the reset button in another country did not seem easy but his mother, who lived briefly in New York as a child, urged him to spend a year in the United States. “[My mother] wanted me to speak better English,” Aguirre said. “She wanted me to live the American experience.”

Aguirre’s mother continued to encourage him to go abroad. She talked about it so much that Aguirre became tired of hearing about it.

“She was always talking to me about it,” Aguirre said. “I didn’t want to go.”

Eventually, her efforts were rewarded. Six months before he left for the United States, he decided he would go be an EF (Education First) exchange student.

“Before coming here, I felt that I need to play [American football],” Aguirre said. “Everyone told me, ‘Oh if you are going to America, you have to play American football.’”

In Spain, they have “fútbol” (soccer). In the United States, there is “football”. Soccer, much like football in the states, is huge in Spain.

“Everybody loves soccer in Spain,” Aguirre said. “I hate soccer. I like playing with my friends but I hate soccer because everybody always argues about it.”

Because of Aguirre’s distaste for soccer, he thought he should try his hand (or foot) at football. He walked onto the team at the beginning of the season and is now the junior varsity kicker. He is number 37.

“It is not like it is the hardest thing,” Aguirre said. “I have learned a lot.”

While Aguirre has learned a lot about football, other cultural things remain a mystery.

“In Spain when you meet someone, you give them two kisses if it is a girl, and a handshake if it is a guy,” Aguirre said. He laughed. “When I meet a girl here I do not know what to do.”

But the biggest cultural difference, a sentiment shared by all of the international exchange students, is a popular student choice in footwear.

“Sandals with white socks?” Aguirre asked with a smirk. “What is that?”

Aguirre is also adjusting to a more American diet. In Spain he mostly ate seafood, but here he is eating more land animals.

“I think I am eating a bit worse here,” Aguirre said. “I eat pizza maybe three days a week.”

When it was official she was going to live in the United States for the school year, Ester Molinaroli’s friends back home in Verona, Italy, thought she was the luckiest girl in the world.

“In Europe, everyone, and I mean everyone, wants to come [to the United States.],” Molinaroli said. “We see the [American] films and we think that it’s like that. It is not 100 percent like that, but many things are like in the films.”

Molinaroli always knew she wanted to experience a new culture outside of Italy. Her father wanted her to have an open mind and supported her decision to do a year abroad.

“I wanted to go somewhere else, meet new people, start everything new.

When I was in my last year of middle school, I decided I wanted to come here,” Molinaroli said. “I found this association called AFS [American Field Service] that gave me the chance to come.”

Most exchange programs allow for students to choose their desired country, but not the city or area. When Molinaroli first found out she was coming to Kansas, she did not know what to expect.

“In Italy, we think that Kansas is the middle of nowhere,” Molinaroli said with a laugh. “I thought that I would live on a farm. But I really like it here in Kansas City.”

One thing she misses, however, is something Americans are notorious for avoiding: walking. In Verona, she would walk about 20 minutes to school and 20 minutes back every day. When she would go out with friends, they would walk around the city at night. Walking was very much a part of her daily routine in Italy. In Kansas, not so much.

“Here [in the United States], to go 5 meters, we use a car,” Molinaroli joked.

Once Molinaroli arrived in Kansas City, her schedule was turned on its head.

Not only is there the jet lag, but a completely different school schedule to get accustomed to. At her school in Verona, Molinaroli only went to school for five hours. Class started at 7:45 a.m. and ended at 12:45 p.m., and classes were also held on Saturdays. With classes that end before 1 p.m., Italian students have very different study habits.

“We study the whole afternoon,” Molinaroli said. “We had so much to study that we go to bed at 11 p.m. and I wake up at 4 a.m. to study before going to school.”

With her new schedule she says it is easier to find time to spend with friends, which she likes.

“You guys are very friendly and very warm,” Molinaroli said. “You involve people in conversation and I really like that.”

Molinaroli also points out how friendly people are, not only to each other at school, but also in the neighborhood and wider community. . “In [my host family’s] neighborhood, they know each other; they invite each other to dinner,” Molinaroli said.

“In Italy,” she said with a smile. “I do not invite my neighbor for dinner.”

Island: a piece of land surrounded by water.

Kansas: the opposite of an island.

Born and raised an island girl, Elvira Gonzalez was in for a shock when she came to Kansas from the Canary Island of Gran Canaria on exchange.

Overnight, Gonzalez went from waking up and seeing the waves through her bedroom window to using an app for ocean sounds in order to fall asleep.

Ever since she was 10 years old, Gonzalez knew she wanted to be a part of an exchange program, but her original plan was to wait until college.

While doing research on scholarships, Gonzalez found out that an exchange program during high school was possible oo.

“When I found out that I can go in high school, I thought ‘why not do both?’,” Gonzalez said. “I still want to go to a different country for university, but not America because I’ve been here now. I’m looking at the U.K. or China.”

China has always been of interest to Gonzalez, so much so that China was her first choice when creating her priority list of countries for her exchange program.

“I really want to learn Chinese, so I put Taiwan as my first option. I was not disappointed when I got the United States though,” Gonzalez said. “I really like the American experience and way of life.”

Part of the American experience is learning the style of a whole new school system. At Spanish high schools, freshmen have the option to chose what path they will follow for the remainder of their educational careers. With her obvious interest in culture, it does not come as a surprise that Gonzalez chose to study social studies. Like most European schools, Gonzalez remains in the same classroom all year, while the teachers do the moving.

“I think it’s easier to make friends in Spain because you are with the same class all year,” Gonzalez said. “Here, it’s better because you know more people, you just don’t get to see them as much.”

Since coming to America, Gonzalez has not had much of a chance to catch up with her old friends back home, as the six-hour time difference and copious amounts of homework create a hurdle in communication. She makes sure to find time to talk to her mother, however, as a way of taking a break from speaking English all day. When she does finally find time to talk to her friends in Gran Canaria, she plans to tell them one thing about America– it is not like the high school movies.

“European countries only have the stereotype of American movies, like cheerleaders are the prettiest in the school and the mean girls, that’s not true,” Gonzalez said with a laugh. “Coming here really changed my mind.

Americans are really nice. It’s very easy to be here.”

Madrid, Spain

Verona, Italy

Gran Canaria, Spain

NW PASSAGE | feature 09

Keep on Truckin’

Cheer competes in state contest for the first time +BY CADENCE ELDER “STATE, STATE, STATE!” It is a phrase every student knows. It is shouted during every assembly for teams who hope to continue their season to the state level and is chanted during football games when the crowd gets particularly riled up.

But this year, for the first time, cheerleaders can add this to their list of chants.

After becoming a sport, and thus eligible for an athletic state tournament, the cheerleaders knew what their next goal was.

Captain Erin Osner learned that keeping everyone motivated was key because doing the same routine can become second nature — and her technique paid off. This season, the cheerleaders are competing in the state tournament.

“Whenever people are starting to get discouraged, someone will turn about and be like ‘Guys, we are going to state,’” Osner said.

“My coach has been talking about this for almost two years.”

Varsity cheer coach Renee Chambers waited anxiously for the day she could sign up her newly created competition squad for the 2017 Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) Game Day Spirit Showcase competition. She has wanted to do this since she was a cheerleader in school as well as throughout her 13-year coaching career.

“I’m super excited that it is even an option; for years, even growing up, state was never an option,” Chambers said.

Around 100 teams, ranging from 1A to 6A, signed up for the state competition Nov. 18 at the Topeka Expo Center. The 30 cheerleaders on the competition squad will perform a fight song, band dances and chants. In the tournament-style competition, teams will move forward to finals based on how they perform in each section. If they make it to finals, the cheerleaders will perform the cheer that was

showcased at the Homecoming assembly.

“It is so exciting because everyone thinks of cheerleaders as people who are jumping around and cheering for the football team,” Osner said. “But when you get to compete on your own mat, for people who came just to see you, it’s so cool because we are such a strong team.”

Aside from the big bows and teased hair, many cheerleaders consider cheerleading a sport due to the athleticism that it demands.

“I think it should be a sport,” Osner said. “There is so much physical exertion. Every day we have cheer class where we work to build up stamina step by step.”

They work as a team during football and basketball season to prepare for games and prep for assemblies. Each cheerleader has personal goals, but senior Gia Vargas has high hopes for her team.

“I would like to see more confidence shine through in our performance,” Vargas said. “I think that would help us get a really good ranking for state.”

The team works together to keep each other motivated. Osner is known as the one who recites cheesy quotes when the team is in need of motivation.

“I love the people,” Osner said. “If it wasn’t for the people on my squad, I probably wouldn’t be cheering anymore. We all help each other through everything, especially during assembly week.”

The squad even created a group chat that they use to support people when they have a rough practice or a stressful day. They understand the importance of being a team on and off the mat.

“We are only as good as the worst person, so everyone has to work together, especially for stunting,” Osner said. “You can’t get someone in the air with just one person: you have to work together.”

1. In front of the senior section, senior Abriel Jarrett strikes a pose Aug. 30 in the main gym. This year bonfire was changed so that it was a cookout rather than a fire. “It’s very sad that we can not have a bonfire anymore so I am glad that we came up with something in place of it ,” Jarrett said. “[I hope] it will become a new northwest tradition.”

2. With poms poms waving sophomore Emily Motsick cheers on cheer coach Renee Chamber’s son as he runs through the rows of JV cheerleaders Sept. 8 at the North District Stadiums. Chambers brought her son’s to multiple games throughout the season. “he was running up and down our cheer lines so we just decided to turn around and make a tunnel with out pompoms,” Motsick said.

Varsity Cherleaders stand in formation as they prepare to storm the crowd with spirit. They will be competing at state this year for the first time ever. “Going to state this uear is an awesome ything to expierence and will allow cheer to take a huge step in its program,” Abby Lewis said.

PHOTO BY KERI SENGPRASEUTH

“T (clap on beat) T-R-U (clap on beat) T-R-U-C-K (clap on beat) keep on truckin’ all the way”

Hear Them Roar

“It’s time to show everyone what we can do. We got this and we’re going to kill it.”

— Erin Osner senior cheer captain

10 Nov. 9, 2017 | Vol. 49

“C–O-U-G-A-R-S That’s how you spell the best (clap, clap) Northwest” “C-C-C-O-U-G (clap on each letter) A-A-A-R-S (clap on each letter) C (clap) O-U-G-A (clap) R-S North-west Cougars” “This is Cougar Country (clap on beat) Everybody yell (clap clap) Cougars”

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On the sidelines, senior Megan Nugent laughs with the football managers Oct. 6 at SMS District Stadium. Nugent is the only female player on the team and was the kicker before her injury. “After every extra point [my teammates] would all come up and high five me,” Nugent said. “They’re all so sweet and supportive, and I know they have my back.” + PHOTO BY SKYLAR BROGAN

ONE OF THE BOYS

Although she’s the only female on the team and injured, Megan Nugent feels the support of the football team +BY SONNI MEYERS

I

n early September, varsity kicker Triston McCreight was out with a concussion. The football team was in need of a kicker.

After winning only one of the nine games last season, the team was hoping to make a change, but the future was already looking bleak. Then, senior Megan Nugent stepped in, making the change from manager to varsity kicker.

“Our kicker got hurt, so Coach [Bo] Black told Hannah, his daughter, to tell me to bring my cleats to school and I thought she was kidding,” Nugent said. “But she was serious and he just told me to practice. I made the first one. Then I just kept making it.”

Nugent played in three games, successfully completing 15 of the 15 possible extra points and field goals she attempted.

“Everyone is just crazy and hype about it pretty much,” Nugent said. “I’ll have random people that I’ve barely talked to before congratulate me. It’s a lot of fun.”

Nugent played soccer since she was 5-years-old and was a starting forward on the varsity soccer team last year.

“It’s pretty much just like kicking a soccer ball, so it’s in my nature,” Nugent said.

Nugent has always been an athlete, but she has never been one of the boys.

“It’s really scary seeing all those guys coming at you running,” Nugent said. “But you know the boys are going to protect you with all they have, so there’s nothing too scary.”

Then, during a club soccer game, Nugent collided with a goalie. She tore both her ACL and her MCL. Nugent will be out for nine months and will miss the entire high school soccer season, but will be back if given the opportunity to play at the collegiate level.

“When I found out, my stomach just dropped,” Nugent said. “It was honestly the worst news to hear. Being an athlete, that’s the worst thing to be told.”

After the injury, Nugent stood on the sidelines during games still wearing her jersey, remembering the transition from holding up play formations to becoming the starting place kicker.

“I wish I could be out with all the boys,” Nugent said. “I miss the celebrations after every point the most.”

After Nugent’s last game on Oct. 6, the team missed her presence as the kicker. As they made their way to the playoffs, every extra point mattered.

“She’s a go-getter,” Lineman Reid Steimach said. “She didn’t care that other people were bigger and better than her: she still went out and played.”

Nugent wasn’t the only one who made a change to the team this year. In order to improve their record and team chemistry, a leadership team was created over the summer to prepare for the season.

Steimach, along with the 13 others, set goals for the team last January to practice over the summer “The leadership team has definitely set a standard like ‘this is what we have to do and this is how we should do it.’” Steimach said. “Last year we were just like ‘so where are we going, what are we trying to accomplish? When we already had goals set, it gave everybody a role to play.”

They won three more games this season than last year.

“This season [was] way more fun,” Steimach said. “Winning makes everything more fun.”

The Cougars (4-4) headed into postseason play against Olathe South Falcons (3-5) on Oct. 28 at the South Shawnee Mission District Stadium. The game ended in a 21-30 loss.

“It didn’t feel like it really was the last game,” senior Hayden Goodpaster said. “I’ve been playing for so long that it just didn’t seem like it was actually over. I was sad that my high school football career was over but also very thankful for all the opportunities it gave me and all the lessons I learned.”

#22

“She didn’t care that other people were bigger and better than her. she still went out and played,” LINEMAN Reid Steimmach said.

15/15

Points After Touchdown made/attempted

Won 4 games, lost 5

NW PASSAGE| feature 13

Sit down, Be thankful Right before sitting down with friends and family to eat copius amounts of mashed potatoes and stuffing, students share what they are thankful for this holiday season

“I’m thankful for all of the new friends I made this year, the new music people have introduced me to and all of the concert experiences I’ve gotten to be a part of.” - senior Jordyn Pomerantz

“I am thankful for food because whenever I am upset I just eat and feel better even though it may be unhealthy.”

“I am thankful for all of my friends, I know they are always there for me.” - junior Lance Tessendorf

“I am thankful for the opportunity to see my kids in the morning and give them hugs before I leave and see and work with wonderful people at Northwest and just being alive.”

- vice principal Jack Johnson

“I am thankful for sports, because it teaches me more drive and I get to meet a lot of new people.”

-junior Ethan Beaumont

“I am thankful for the Dents.”

- junior Dawson Mesh

-senior Maree Corradino

“I am thankful for my family, I feel blessed to have two healthy beautiful children that I am so proud of.”

- secreatary Dana Gullick

“I am thankful for my mom because she has always been there and I have never had to struggle -sophomore Aniah Etienne

14 Nov. 9, 2017 | Vol. 49

+BY KAILI SITZ

“I am thankful for having family by my side and just for what we have what now...for what we have in the world.”

- sophomore Ashton McCain

I am thankful for Northwest. I’ll always have pride for Northwest and I feel the love at every assembly, where everyone doing something within the school can show off their unique talents, and I can be my crazy self here.

-senior Michelle Banks

“I am thankful for my mom because she has always been there and I have never had to struggle.” - sophomore Aniah Etienne

“I am thankful for my family, my friends and I am thankful that I get to eat lunch.”

- Sophomore Cate Cunningham

Month in 1.

PHOTOS

5. Swinging her pole, senior Samantha Anderson performs in the anual light show Oct. 20 at the SM North District Stadium. +Photo by Thomas Delzeit.

6. Senior Colby Cole raises helmet for kickoff Oct. 6 at SM South District Stadium.

Northwest won the game 7-6 against SM South. +Photo by Skylar Brogan 7. After corwning Second Runner Up, senior Kaden Bower, senior Rachel Perez meets up with her friends in the main gym Oct. 21. Perez recieved homecoming queen 2nd runner up. “My emotions were all over the place. It was: surreal, emotional, and a truly beautiful moment [being crowned 2nd runner up],” Perez said. +Photo by Keri Sengperseuth

2.

3.

4.

1. Senior Kaden Bower smiles as he is congradulated and embraced by his friends, senior Eric Maxon, Daniel Vargas, and Reid Stimach.

Bower recieved homecoming king 2nd runner up. “It’s a great accomplishment and memorable experience,” Bower said. “It’s cool the be recognized by my school and represent my entire class. +Photo by Keri Sengpersueth 2. Seniors Molly Born and Reid Stimach are crowned as Homecoming king and queen in the main gym Oct. 21. +Photo by Kelly VandenBos 3. Covered in glow sticks, senior Sophia Hollman preforms during the light show at Shawnee Mission North District Stadium Oct. 20. Hollman is one of three drum majors. “The show feels much more ethereal and out-of-thisworld with the glow sticks on and the lights off,” Hollman said. “I am so proud to see the band glowing on the field”. +Photo by Piper Scheurman 4. Senior Rachel Albers gasps with excitement Oct. 20 at SM North District Stadium. Albers placed first runner up along with Rachel Perez who placed second runner up and Molly Born who was crowned queen. “I was talking to my dad as I was walking down the field and I was telling him who I thought would win” Albers said, “I didn’t even consider myself as an option”. +Photo by Abby Ryan

6.

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NW PASSAGE | Feature 15

“My absolute favorite memory would have to be watching each class come together as a “team” to win the spirit stick. My class makes me feel at home.”

— junior Austin Bell

the

NW PASSAGE +PHOTO BY ABBY ROBERTS